It’s late Sunday afternoon and I am writing this lying on the living room floor with a big mug of green tea (and a few cookies) beside me. Tonight we are planning on having lazy leftovers and watching our new favourite (How to Get Away with Murder – fabulous). I love quiet Sunday nights before a busy (and blessed week). This past week has been quiet, and we have needed it. The rain was a perfect curtain of quiet drawn around us and gave us the opportunity to recharge our batteries. Here is my Nourished Life Gratitude List 2015 – Week Eight:
Monday: Today we had the pest control man come to our house, and it made me think how lucky we are to live in the first world where we can protect ourselves and our families from pests and annoyances. I know it seems like a small thing, but it just reminded me to be grateful for living here in the first world in a comfortable house with everything I need right at my finger tips.
Tuesday: Many of the vegetarian dishes I cook don’t really tickle Chris’s taste buds, so I end up eating leftovers for a few days. Growing up in a house where there was hardly ever leftovers, I love them! I am always grateful when I come home from work and see that I have leftovers from a recipe I have been trying for myself, and leftovers from a meal I have cooked for Chris. This means more time for reading and snuggling! I am grateful for leftovers, and for loving a man who enjoys them too.
Wednesday: Some nights cookie dough is the answer to spread sheet fatigue and commuter traffic exhaustion. Some nights I come home, and I just don’t have the energy to get to the gym and I need to come home, make cookies, collapse on the bed, watch West Wing and just hide away from the world. I am grateful that when I listen to my body it lets me know what I need, and when I listen to it, I wake up the next day with the energy and vigour to keep achieving my goals. Some nights you just need cookies and blankets. Be kind to yourself everyone.
Thursday: After a run on the way home, I curled up in bed with a stack of cookbooks searching for more inspiration. I have so many pages of recipe ideas, sometimes it’s difficult to know where to start! I am grateful that I have this little space on the internet, and for all my beautiful readers. Your support means so much to me, and your comments are what keeps me tying my apron on and getting into the kitchen every day.
Friday: Tonight I headed over to Mum and Dad’s to spend the night! Mum made her delicious cheesy mushroom omelettes, and we all curled up by the TV after dinner to watch Better Homes and Gardens. I was grateful for puppy kisses from Molly and for Toby showing his affection by deigning to sleep on my bed. I was also grateful to spend some time relaxing with Mum and Dad and seeing how their ‘empty nester’ projects are going (looking forward to our next family lunch in their awesome new outdoor entertaining area).
Saturday: This morning the rain was still driving down and so we vetoed the markets (we don’t own a boat!) and instead the three ladies (Mum, Jess, and I) headed to the supermarket and cruised around together doing our shopping. I was grateful to share this everyday chore with my favourite ladies and to just spend time in their company. They make the rainy days disappear. In the afternoon Chris and I watched ‘The Theory of Everything’ (so beautiful) and snuggled in bed while the rain continued to sweep over our little house by the bay. I was grateful to be cosy inside with my love.
Sunday: This morning the storm had cleared. After two days of raining non-stop, when I woke up this morning the sky was starting to clear and I could see our precious bay again. To show my gratitude and to revel in a little sunshine, I put on my walking shoes and headed out for a long, long walk. Then I came home to a thick, creamy, mango smoothie made from Mum and Dad’s mangoes (huge, huge crop this summer) and got into some recipe planning for an upcoming project. I am grateful for a slow Sunday before we both head back to work tomorrow.
Also this week:
- The end of a long summer means there are still bundles of peaches available at the markets, make the most of them in my Peach Apple Crumble Pie – I love this recipe so much that there will have to be a winter version when the nights turn cold and gloomy!
- Summer also means sweet baby cherry tomatoes, and they make midweek meals a bright delight in my Roasted Tomato and Chickpea Stew with Basil Quinoa
- There are always so many interesting links on the internet – let’s talk about them!
Tell me dear reader, what are you grateful for this week?
